[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6989\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPreparing for extreme weather\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost scientists predict that climate change will lead to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2017\/03\/170320085442.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eworsening weather\u003C\/a\u003E. This could include more severe snow storms, heavier rainfall and wildfires. These can have disastrous effects on our transport network, causing critical tunnels or bridges to close and, in the worst circumstances, leading to injuries and fatalities. The cost of infrastructure collapse from weather is estimated at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.safeway-project.eu\/en\/project\/benefits\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u20ac29 billion\u003C\/a\u003E a year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The general idea is that these types of extreme weather events will get more and more (severe) in future,\u2019 said Dr Angelos Amditis from the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) in Greece. \u2018This will be a major issue for our society in the future, and this will really affect our daily lives and ways of moving, working or living.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is one of a number of researchers who are now studying how we might cope with these situations. They are hoping to develop technologies and methods that can help people and emergency services get real-time information on any serious events, and plan accordingly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECritical\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Amditis runs a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/215997\/factsheet\/en\u0022\u003ERESIST\u003C\/a\u003E, whose goal is to ensure that critical parts of our transport network can cope with extreme events, both natural ones like weather to human-caused events like cyber-attacks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo do this, the project, which began in September, will be focusing on two important transport routes \u2013 the T9 bridge in Greece, and the Saint Petronilla tunnel in Italy \u2013 both of which, if shut down, would cause huge problems. A pilot project to test extreme weather resilience will be carried out at the former in February 2021, and the latter in July 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;(Extreme weather) will really affect our daily lives and ways of moving, working or living.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Angelos Amditis, Institute of Communication and Computer Systems, Greece.\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to extreme weather, these roadways are most at risk from heavy snowfall and rainfall, with flooding in particular being a serious concern. In such cases, bridges and roads can be closed for hours or even days, leaving many people stranded on either side as they are unable to travel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you just lose one road you can usually find a way to go around it,\u2019 said Dr Amditis. \u2018But if you lose a tunnel or bridge, then you have more critical problems.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022On average, the number of hydrological events such as floods around the world quadrupled between 1980 and 2017. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 height=\u00221162\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/extremeweather-world.png\u0022 title=\u0022On average, the number of hydrological events such as floods around the world quadrupled between 1980 and 2017. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EOn average, the number of hydrological events such as floods around the world quadrupled between 1980 and 2017. Image credit - Horizon\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of RESIST\u2019s solutions to this problem is called the Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS). The researchers are planning to use a series of drones and sensors to continually monitor the environment near the tunnel and bridge during periods of intense weather, and check for any issues as early as possible that may result in a closure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s going to inform people about the situation, and help with their planning,\u2019 said Dr Amditis. \u2018And the project is going to use drones and sensors to understand exactly what type of measures need to be taken after the event.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBreakdown\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch alert systems are not widely in place at the moment, and even when they are, one crucial problem is that these severe events can often be followed by a breakdown in communications networks. RESIST\u2019s idea is to build alternative communications networks, which can spring into action during these events and send information both to the public and to emergency services.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ultimate goal is to improve safety for the public. RESIST wants to provide people with up-to-date information, so that they can plan an alternative route if needed or, in the worst situations, avoid travelling altogether. And as extreme weather events increase in the future, such an early-warning system could be crucial.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut while tunnels and bridges are key pinch points, our everyday transport network will also need to be able to cope with extreme weather. Dr Bel\u00e9n Riveiro from the University of Vigo in Spain, is running a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/216011\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ESAFEWAY \u003C\/a\u003Ethat looks at several sections of road and rail across Europe to see how they cope with severe weather events, and how we can plan for disasters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer aim is to decrease by half the time it takes for emergency services to arrive on a scene if needed, and reduce by a third the time taken to repair roads or rail.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We want to integrate new monitoring technologies, including remote sensing and information provided by humans, to have a more efficient monitoring system,\u2019 she said. \u2018The idea is to improve the resilience of our transport network when these kind of events happen.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022In Europe, the number of geophysical events such as earthquakes has stayed fairly constant since 1980, whereas the number of meteorological, climatological and particularly hydrological events has increased. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 height=\u00221162\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/extremeweather-europe.png\u0022 title=\u0022In Europe, the number of geophysical events such as earthquakes has stayed fairly constant since 1980, whereas the number of meteorological, climatological and particularly hydrological events has increased. Image credit - Horizon\u0022 width=\u0022984\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EIn Europe, the number of geophysical events such as earthquakes has stayed fairly constant since 1980, whereas the number of meteorological, climatological and particularly hydrological events has increased. Image credit - Horizon\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the\u0026nbsp;project, which began in September 2018 and ends in February 2022, scientists will run a number of test projects across Europe. In total, SAFEWAY hopes to collect real-time data from 5,000 billion passenger-kilometres across Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne study in Portugal will look at several sections of road and rail in the regions of Leiria and Santar\u00e9m, which are at particular risk of wildfires and flooding. Here researchers will assess the threat posed by such events to the transport network. They want to use real-time data from people to monitor traffic, and even track posts on social media, to see if any routes have been affected by weather.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother study in the Murcia and M\u00e1laga regions in Spain will use similar methods to monitor the risk from earthquakes. In the UK, researchers will study the risk posed by landslides and flooding during heavy rainfall, using satellite data to monitor regions that could be at risk of landslides. A final study in the Netherlands will practise how best to communicate this information to users, such as using smartphones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is important to be able to anticipate the occurrences of these events, or anticipate the effects it can have for the users,\u2019 said Dr Riveiro. \u2018We can see every day the effects of climate change are getting more severe.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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